Everything Starts Off Small
by barfanichita
Summary: Eponine has put up with her abusive parents to look after her two younger siblings and now as she starts a new school, on the run from the law she has a choice, allow herself to make friends or turn from people and struggle on her own! E/E shipping later on! AU modern. T for swearing and later chapters
1. One Chance One Choice What would you do?

Chapter 1: One Chance; One Choice! What would you do?

Please _**read**_ and _**review**_

Disclaimer: I own nothing but I shot gunned Aaron Tviet!

Summary: Eponine has put up with her abusive parents to look after her two younger siblings and now as she starts a new school, on the run from the law she has a choice, allow herself to make friends or turn from people and struggle on her own! E/E shipping later on! AU modern

The sun was gleaming above the houses in a small village of Paris. A girl around eighteen years of age watched it while waiting for sleep to take her. Eponine Thenardier sighed and looked at the small battered clock that was kept on the table next to her makeshift bed of a couch. _6:46! _She climbed of the couch and dressed quickly in torn jeans and a small strappy vest. Eponine picked up her combat boots and her scrappy leather jacket and crept down the stairs of the pub she lived in with her two siblings and her drunken, abusive, shitty parents. Her father was snoring in the only armchair his holey socked feet resting on the top of a table with a bottle in his hand. His henchmen were all on the floor snoring in time with her father.

Eponine silently picked her way across the room to her sibling's room and pushed the creaky door open. Her younger brother and sister where there fast asleep on the floor. Eponine shook them awake and handed them the small cereal bars she had managed to steal from the pub's kitchen the night before.

"Gav, 'Zelma! Come on wake up!" Gavroche was a small boy of ten and had dirty blonde hair which was long and uncut. Azelma was a petit girl of thirteen who had a small face which was covered by her unruly mob of brown hair.

The two of them dressed quickly and followed Eponine out of the house before their father woke up. The three of the walked along the streets of Paris talking about school, unlike most children their age they were glad they had school to go to, it was an escape but one they couldn't always take. If their father woke up in the mornings they were forced to work for him in the pub scamming the few customers they got and being beaten if their father didn't get enough money.

"Gav, you'd better behave, no bunking off school to see Paris we'll all go and explore this evening!" Eponine warned her younger brother spoiling his plans before he had thought them through properly.

Around 10 past 7 the three of them made their way out of the dirty, smell part of the city and into the well kept gardens. Gavroche ran ahead, he was young and carefree and his elder sister always wanted him to stay that way, with his free spirit. They laughed as he ran back jumping in and out of puddles as he went.

Sooner than they wanted they arrived at the school and Eponine walked her brother and sister up to the front desk of the high school part and introduced them before carrying on to the collage. As she got there she was so lost in her thoughts that she ran into another person. Eponine was knocked backwards and fell to the floor. "Monsieur, I'm sorry!" She said hurriedly expecting the treatment that her father would have given her. "It's alright, accidents happen! Are you new here, I don't think I've seen you around?" A masculine voice answered and Eponine braved a look at the student. It was a tall man with redish brown hair and laughing brown eyes. Eponine smiled as he held out a hand and helped her back to her feet. "No, I just starting today!" The boy laughed again "Well, I'm Marius, if you want I'll show you to the collage entrance!" Eponine laughed too but closed her walls up. "Thank you...Marius, that would be great, I'm Eponine!" She stuck her hand out and Marius shook it.

The two of them walked to the foyer of the collage and Eponine got her timetable and a map of the school. Marius studied her timetable and kindly pointed out the lessons he had with her. He walked her to form and said goodbye. Eponine walked in her walls well up and her defenses on. Her form tutor Madame Fantine looked over her and called out "Class this is Eponine, she'll be joining us for a while." Eponine smiled around and then made her way to the only empty seat in the room, next to a boy who was taking a long drink out of a water bottle and talking to the boy in front of him. The boys looked at her as she sat down and they smiled kindly. The one on the table in front of her said "Hi, I'm Courfeyrac and this is Gantaire." Eponine smiled and then said "Well, since Madame introduced me I guess you know who I am!" The boys laughed and Eponine could smell alcohol coming of the boy beside her... Gantaire?

Form went quickly with Eponine doodling on her notebook and pretending to be listening to the conversation that was going on between Courfeyrac and Gantaire. When the bell went Marius was waiting outside the door for her and they set of to their first lesson which they had together,History. Gantaire and Courfeyrac caught up with them and they were soon joined by some other people. Marius seemed to know everyone and Eponine could only memorize Marius', Gantaire's and Courfeyrac's names by the time they got into the class. Their teacher Monsieur Claude gave her a seat next to one of Marius' friends. The lesson went on quikly and Eponine was given a quiz to see how much she knew about french history (Which wasn't a lot) and she wasn't surprised to find that if that had been an exam she would have failed and got a U since she had only written Don't Have A Clue by all the questions.

The next lesson she had was music, something she enjoyed. Once again she was put through a test in notes and seeing if she could play. This time though she was able to play in front of only the teacher so she didn't feel so bad. Eponine was happy to be lost in the music. She sat in front of the piano and picked out the tune of a song she loved, My heart will go on. At the end of the introduction she add the words the piano making her soft lilting voice stand out. While she was playing Courfeyrac slipped into the room unnoticed and listened amazed at the beautiful voice. As the music ended he started clapping and Eponine turned around startled and glared at him. She didn't want anyone to hear her play. When the bell went she rushed out of the room and straight into one of Marius' friends, the one who looked like a god... Enjolras or something like that. Eponine looked down and walked away muttering an apology going to find Azelma, thinking _I'm running from people who could be my friends, why should I? What's the point of friends? I'm only here for a while anyway! When are things going to start going right today?_


	2. Choices and the Truth

Chapter 2: Choices and the Truth

Please _**read**_ and _**review**_

Sorry about all the mistakes in the last chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but I shot gunned Aaron Tviet!

Summary: Eponine has put up with her abusive parents to look after her two younger siblings and now as she starts a new school, on the run from the law she has a choice, allow herself to make friends or turn from people and struggle on her own! E/E shipping later on! AU modern

Eponine made her way outside and breathed a sigh of relief. She sat on top of a tallish mound between the high school and the college. She saw a small girl walking in her direction on her own. The girl was wearing ragged jean shorts which were mostly hidden by a faded dye vest top. The girl had a pair of black pumps on her feet and her tangled brown hair was tied back in a high ponytail. _Azemla _Eponine realised. Eponine watched her sister come towards her and throw herself down. Despite Azelma casual taste in clothes she cared about them as much as Eponine did. Which wasn't a lot.

"Hey, 'Zelma! What's new with you?" Azelma huffed and Eponine grinned. Azelma started talking about how she missed the way things used to be when they were younger- a lot younger, how people took them for street rats and judged them. Eponine laughed saying "Come on 'Zelma, girls are always like that, even we are, what did you expect?" Azelma smiled at that and stated simply

"'Ponine we have a good reason to judge people because whenever we give them a chance we get hurt, you know that better than anyone." Eponine looked down at her left wrist to a scar that had never healed. One that had been caused by her last boyfriend, Montparnasse. He had grabbed a knife and sliced it like paper and burnt the flesh. Of course her father had never cared why would he?

The rest of break passed quickly with the two of them talking touching briefly on what their father would do that night. They both agreed to take Gavroche's punishment because neither of them wanted to see the boy get hurt. Eponine asked Azelma what she was planning on doing for her options getting only a shrug in return. Eponine had a week to choose what she was doing in collage before she got put into classes against her will. "What are you going to choose 'Ponine?" Eponine sighed she had a choice of four things. "Art and Music I suppose Maybe Law cause it's what I'm interested in; but I dunno about the fourth option! I might take P.E" Azelma nodded knowing that Law and PE would help Eponine the most with their father and Art and Music gave her a future to work for.

As the bell went for next lessons Eponine and Azelma shared a smile before turning away to their different buildings, Eponine had P.E and Azelma had ICT which she wasn't looking forward to because she had never used a computer apart from turning it on.

As Eponine arrived at the college gym she could see a load of girls changing into tight shorts and strappy gym vest then adding pumps to their feet. Eponine felt out of place as she only had what she was wearing with her. The female teacher lent her some pumps and and one of the girls lent her some shorts. Eponine tied her hair back with a red band. She followed the rest of the girls into a large barn where all the boys were. Marius and his friends were there laughing and joking around, they hadn't seen her yet. Eponine could see all the teachers; most of them were male but two were female. All the students broke of to the activities of their choice which were mainly separated into boys and girls. "Eponine Thenardier!"

Eponine turned around and saw one of the teachers walking towards her. "Eponine, I am Madame Rosiville and since it is your first day here and you are only doing tryouts for a week unless you choose this subject, we would like you to choose the activity that you feel you benfit and inspire you the most." Madame Rosiville hardly drew breath before gesturing for Eponine to follow her and walking towards the different activities. "Most of the girls are doing gymnastics, there is a mixture of both boys and girls doing volleyball and the rest of the boys are in the fighting techniques class where you do a mixture of boxing, wrestling and some plain fighting with strict rules." Eponine watched the different activities her mind already set on one. She watch the girls flip themselves over in cartwheels and back flips she watched people running forward and battering a ball over a net (What is the actual point of Volleyball can some please tell me cause I have no idea). Eponine then turned her attention to the last class. It was made up of entirely boys who were standing in a large circle while their teacher took a register.

"I really don't know why people would want to fight, the girls at this school show a reasonable level of understanding. I don't think we have ever had a girl who actually considered .." Eponine broke Madame Rosiville's rant about the fighting techniques class by asking "Madame, is it alright if I join the end class, the fight techniques one?" Some of the female volleyballers looked at her in amazement and Madame Rosiville was startled but nodded and walked Eponine over to the class.

"Monsieur Dabad!" Madame Rosiville called as the two of them approached the lesson. Some of the boys looked at Eponine in interest Marius and two of his friends, Courfeyrac and the golden haired one that Eponine had bumped into earlier were there laughing; or rather Marius and Courfeyrac were laughing while the golden boy shook his head in despair Monsieur Dabad looked up and Madame Rosiville stated Eponine's wish to join their class including the fact that she was new. Monsieur Dabad smiled at Eponine and called for silence before introducing her to the boys. Marius grinned at her and Courfeyrac surveyed her with interest before turning their attention back to the teacher. Golden boy didn't look at her.

"Today; I just want to get a look at your fighting capabilities so we are going to have a tournament Of course there are rules which you have to follow, lets hope no one ends up in hospital huh!" Monsieur Dabad said and some of the boys looked happier at the thought. Marius signaled for Eponine to go over to him and she obeys walking slowly around the outside of the group ignoring the stares and building her defenses up as she went.

"Hey monsieur, whats new with you?" Marius laughed at her formal hello and insisted to be called Marius. Eponine smiled at him in a teasing way. She was beginning to like him. Courfeyrac stayed out of the way not wanting to get on the wrong side of Eponine again, but Eponine turned to him saying "Sorry for the glare I gave you, I just don't like anyone but my brother or sister to hear me play!" Courefeyrac smiled back at her unsure face and replied "Already forgotten, Ep' but for the record you play and sing really well." Eponine blushed and turned her attention back to Monsieur Dabad called out the list pf partners.

"Courfeyrac, you're with Marius, Mathew you're with Simon, Eponine you're with Carlin..." Eponine tuned out the rest of the list while looking around for her partner to see what her odds were. Carlin was a massive boy with quite large muscles. He towered over Eponine and when the girl stood beside him she looked miniature Courfeyrac and Marius noticed this and said to Eponine, "Dabad must be mad, you're so much smaller than him!" Eponine grinned sure that she could bring Carlin down, she was a Thenardier after all. "Marius..., I'm smaller and faster than him, I can take him." Courfeyrac grinned at her confidence as Monsieur Dabad told them to start."

Carlin started moving around Eponine in a circle getting ready to strike. Marius and Courfeyrac watched. Eponine watched eyes narrow waiting to Carlin to make the first move. About 2 minutes had passed when Carlin suddenly lunched at Eponine who ducked out of the way quickly. She started leading her opponent on a dance tiring him out before quickly crouching down and tripping him off his feet and down.

Marius and Courfeyrac laughed and Courfeyrac raised her hand in the air shouting "She is the champion!" Monsieur Dabad laughed at their antics and called her over before putting her with another partner this time it was Marius' friend Golden Boy! Marius called them over and said patronizingly "Eponine, Enjolras is a good friend of ours and we want you two to play nicely together!" The fight went the same way as Eponine's first one but Enjolras flicked his leg causing Eponine to fall to the ground as well signalling a draw.

The bell went and Marius waited for Eponine outside the Sports Hall before waling to lunch with her. On the way Marius asked "Where did you learn to fight like that, I mean your reflexes are amazing!" Eponine smiled while trying to come up with a good story that meant she could hide the truth. She couldn't tell Marius that her parents beat her and her siblings could she. "I used to be in a fight club when I was younger, my dad used to coach me. I just wanted to see if I could still do it, plus I don't see the point of gymnastics or Volleyball to be honest." Marius smiled and they walked the rest of the way to lunch in silence.

_**Please remember to review I want to know if there is any point in continuing this of not!**_


	3. Meetings and a New Scene

_**Hey! Thanks for the reviews, because of them I decided to continue!**_

Chapter 3: Meetings and a new scene

Please _**read**_ and _**review**_

Sorry about all the mistakes in the last chapter!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but I shot gunned Aaron Tviet!

Summary: Eponine has put up with her abusive parents to look after her two younger siblings and now as she starts a new school, on the run from the law she has a choice, allow herself to make friends or turn from people and struggle on her own! E/E shipping later on! AU modern Warning this might become an M rating later on!

Eponine stepped out of the gym changed into what she thought were more comfortable clothes. She thanked the girl who had let her borrow the shorts and pumps. She noticed Marius standing by a metal post laughing. She walked up to him and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Hey, there monsieur!" Marius turned and smiled at her.

"Hey you ready to go to lunch?" Eponine nodded but as the two of them walked away from the gym in time with each other she said sheepishly"You'll need to remind me of who your friends are, I kind of forgot this morning" Marius grinned and started counting off the names of his friends and what they were like.

"There's me obiously, Courfeyrac who I think is in your form; he's funny and quite excentiric, Gantaire who spends most of his time drunk but is really loyal..." Eponine broke in with "He's in my form as well, I sit next to him" Marius laughed before continuing counting his friends of, not bothering with the points anymore. "theres Combeferre, Jehan, Feuilly, Bossuet, Bahoul, Joly, and then theres Enjolras, he's the one you just floored." Eponine grinned and the two of them walked around a corner to find a group of boys either sitting or lying on the grass. One of them was sitting on his coat while the others hadn't bothered.

"Hey guys, you remember Eponine from this morning right?" Some of the boys looked at her and there was a few nodding heads and people saying "Yeah" Gantaire grinned at Eponine and becokened her to come over and sit down next to them. "Mademoiselle, hows your day going so far?" He said in a slightly flirtatous tone. Eponine gave him a half smile and said "It's very intersting Monsieur!" Most of the boys turned to her shocked that she had called school intresting and Eponine laughed at their expressions Marius sat next to her "I never thought I'd hear someone refer to school as intresting!" Eponine blushed and Marius added "Yeah, as much as I enjoyed watching Enjy get floored, Monsieur Claude getting owned by her test and Carlin get beaten by a girl, I'm surprised you can call today intresting!" Eponine grinned and decided to explain.

"I haven't been to school since I was 10! My _dad_ lost alot of money and choose to take me and my siblings out of school; it's only now that he's _let_ us join again" Eponine put alot of empathise on the word let. Marius and Jehan looked intrested when she mentioned siblings. "You have siblings? What are their names? Do they go this school?" Jehan babbled off at top speed. Eponine laughed again "Yes Monsieur, I have a younger brother and sister. They do go this school. My sister is called Azelma and my brother is called Gavroche" Some of the other boys came to listen. One was wearing glasses and asked "How old are they, what year are they in?" Eponine started feeling uncomfortable so she rabbled the answers off quickly "Zelma's 14, she's in year nine and Gav's 11 and in year seven!"

Eponine looked over at Marius and he mouthed Combeferre! The girl remembered then a few of the names and faces that went together. "When did they last go to school?" Combeferre asked. Eponine sighed and Gantaire realised she didn't like being the centre of attention. Eponine waas speaking again before he could come up with an excuse to save her; not that he was trying hard, he was intrested like all the other boys. "Gav was too young to go to school, he knows what I could teach him but he's never been in a proper school before, Zemla was in year 2 when we left."

Even Enjolras was listening, because he was amazed that a father could take his children out of school and not give them any education, and only let them learn what his daughter could teach them. Maybe there was more to the girl than he thought.

Gavroche wandered around the school. He was bored, sure the lessons had been intresting because he'd never been in them before; sure he'd amazed his geography teacher with a map of where not to go and which the safest routes are around his old town of Montfermeil where there were no robbers but now; it was lunch and all the boys in his year were dicks.

The small boy reached the fence that separated the collage from the high school. It was a rule that no one crossed through, under or climbed over the fence. Gavroche saw the bullies of year seven hanging around by the fence. "Oh look who it is!" the leader crooned. "It's little Gavroche, the small retard who can't play football without falling over. Gavroche glared his killer glare and the group backed away. Eponine had taught him enough and Gavroche knew that she wouldn't be happy if she heard that these boys had insulted him. Gavroche strode towards the fence and quickly hopped over it. The group watched as he walked around the corner of the college and out of site. One of the boys turned to the leader "Wow, Matt even you wouldn't do that." Matt turned on the speaker and hit him across the face saying "shut up, you fucking twat"

Gavroche crept around the college keeping his eyes peeled for his sister while sticking to the shadows. He saw a number of people mainly girls in groups laughing, enjoying the sun, gossiping and putting on make-up. Gavroche quickly turned away and ran in another direction to get away from the talk of boys and makeup. The shadows hid the small boy well and Gavroche walked around the whole college knowing that Eponine would probably be outside. Gavroche saw a group of mean looking boys coming towards him. He stepped back and onto someone's foot.

Gavroche looked up and into the smiling face of a tall boy. The boy pushed Gavroche behind the bins and stood covering him while the gang of other boys walked by throwing glares and short remarks at Gavroche's saviour.

Once the gang had turned the corner Gavroche stood up and looked at the boy who had helped him. "How'd you do; the names Gavroche!" He said in a chirpy voice hoping that the boy could tell him where Eponine was. "Hey Gavroche I'm Courfeyrac. What are you doing in the college?" The boy said in a kindly way not demanding an answer but Gavroche could hear the curiosity burning behind the kindness. "Well monsieur I'm here looking for me sister." Courfeyrac's head shot up and he regarded the boy with a new found interest. The boy spoke like the new girl Eponine and also had the same eyes as her not to mention they had the same twang to their voices.

Courfeyrac asked "Who's your sister, what's her name, what does she look like?" Gavroche grinned happy that he might find Eponine through the boy. "Well, her names Eponine, she's smallish, long dark brown hair, brown eyes and she will probably be a bit defensive." Gavroche said and Courfeyrac smiled "I know her, she sits behind me in form and one of my friends has decided to befriend her. Come on if she's with him they'll be easy to find." Gavroche leapt out from behind the bins and ran up to him.

Courfeyrac laughed and started walking around the college until they bumped into a young ginger hair girl. Gavroche stepped behind Courfeyrac and out of the girls view. "Hey Chetta! Do you know Joly and the rest of Les Amis are?" The girl pointed over towards the science block. "Over there bathing in the sun" she answered laughing. Courfeyrac thanked her pulling Gavroche into view and walking in the direction of the science blocks.

Eponine lay back on the grass and shielded her eyes from the sun. The boys had finally stopped asking her questions about the school and Enjolras had claimed everyone's attention by talking about the upcoming teacher's election for assistant deputy head. Suddenly Courfeyrac's voice carried across the grass and Eponine sat up and grinned at the sight of Gavroche running towards her. "'Ponine!"

As Gavroche jumped on Eponine everyone watched him amazed at how Eponine treated the boy when she hardly spoke of her family home and past at all. "Hey, what you doin on this side of school?" The boys watched and listened as Gavroche started cursing all the boys in his school with words that in their opinion he shouldn't even know.

After Gavroche finished his stream of swearing (which was cut off quickly because he noticed Eponine's death glare) an awkward silence fell for a few moments before Courfeyrac ran up. Marius looked at Eponine and asked "Who's this?" Eponine grinned and looked around at the rest of the boys -taking in their curious eyes- before answering "This is Gav; my brother"

Gavroche grinned around at the boys easily and said "how do ya do". Courfeyrac flopped down on the grass next to Marius and let the next bunch of questions flow around him. Questions like "How are you two related? You look nothing like each other!" "How have you been in your school?" and "Eponine's been refusing to tell us of her home so maybe you can tell us!" The last question came from Marius and Gavroche had a frightened rabbit caught in the headlights look about him.

"Oh ya know, home is home!" He said in answer to the last question but the others he went into more detail. "Eponine takes after our father lookwise and me and 'Zelma take after our mom!". Courfeyrac told Gavroche to sit down and enjoy the sun while he could because the bell was going to go for the afternoon lessons. "High school is crap; I mean nothing that we couldn't learn off a chipmunk." Everyone except Enjolras laughed at this, Courfeyrac was surprised that Eponine didn't right hand him for his language. "I'm only staying cause I promised 'Ponine and I know she right to make sure I have an education, especially since..." Gavroche broke off when Eponine sent a warning glare his way.

Just then the bell went and Eponine grabbed her bag and almost dragged Gavroche back to the fence between the high school and the college before anyone could ask about the cut off. Then she quickly ran to her form room, hoping the afternoon would go quickly.

_**Sorry it took so long! I'm in the middle of GCSE's! Please remember to review**_


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